The often-overlooked Aeropuerto de Castellón (CDT) has landed its biggest inbound tourism deal since opening to commercial traffic in 2015. Regional operator Aerocas confirmed on 29 November that it will host a block charter of 30 return flights from Bratislava between May and September 2026, delivering up to 2,700 Slovak travellers directly to the Costa del Azahar.
The operation is spearheaded by hotel-marketing consortium Introducing Castellón, whose member properties have collectively underwritten aircraft capacity and ground handling. Most flights will be operated by Smartwings using Boeing 737-800s, tapping into Slovakia’s growing appetite for Mediterranean beach packages after the country’s record 2025 outbound spend.
![Castellón Airport Secures 30-Flight Charter Programme to Attract 2,700 Slovak Holidaymakers]()
For Castellón province—whose hotel occupancy lags well behind Valencia and Alicante—the deal is strategically important. Direct air links reduce reliance on two-hour coach transfers from Barcelona or Valencia airports and make the destination viable for short-break, shoulder-season traffic. Local authorities estimate the charter could inject €3 million in accommodation revenue alone, not counting restaurant, retail and excursion spend.
Corporate mobility managers with Central-European workforces should note the new route when planning incentive travel or seasonal rotations at regional manufacturing sites (Ford Almussafes, BP Castellón, Porcelanosa). The flights also give Slovak suppliers and technicians faster access to the ceramic-tile cluster around Vila-real.
Assuming load factors exceed 85 %, Aerocas intends to court Polish and Czech tour operators with similar guarantees for summer 2027, accelerating the airport’s pivot from point-to-point low-cost traffic toward vertically integrated charter programs.
The operation is spearheaded by hotel-marketing consortium Introducing Castellón, whose member properties have collectively underwritten aircraft capacity and ground handling. Most flights will be operated by Smartwings using Boeing 737-800s, tapping into Slovakia’s growing appetite for Mediterranean beach packages after the country’s record 2025 outbound spend.
For Castellón province—whose hotel occupancy lags well behind Valencia and Alicante—the deal is strategically important. Direct air links reduce reliance on two-hour coach transfers from Barcelona or Valencia airports and make the destination viable for short-break, shoulder-season traffic. Local authorities estimate the charter could inject €3 million in accommodation revenue alone, not counting restaurant, retail and excursion spend.
Corporate mobility managers with Central-European workforces should note the new route when planning incentive travel or seasonal rotations at regional manufacturing sites (Ford Almussafes, BP Castellón, Porcelanosa). The flights also give Slovak suppliers and technicians faster access to the ceramic-tile cluster around Vila-real.
Assuming load factors exceed 85 %, Aerocas intends to court Polish and Czech tour operators with similar guarantees for summer 2027, accelerating the airport’s pivot from point-to-point low-cost traffic toward vertically integrated charter programs.
